Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 47745 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-34404

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 25 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the total amount of funding allocated for the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) has been in each year since 2021.

Question reference: S6W-35135

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 25 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28796 by Mairi Gougeon on 19 August 2024, whether it can provide an update on what discussions it has had with the forestry sector regarding the spread of outbreaks of the larger eight-toothed European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) in Scotland, and what preventative actions it has taken to limit the spread of these beetles.

Scottish Government considers industry involvement and engagement an important component in preventing the spread of Ips typographus into or within Scotland. Regular discussions are held with industry representatives from the nursery sector, growers and processing sector through the scheduled Scottish Tree Health Advisory Group and the Scottish Forest and Timber Technologies Industry Leadership Group.

Extensive surveillance and trapping is conducted across Scotland to monitor for the presence of these beetles. Following the trap finding in Scotland an intensive trapping programme has been underway to catch any residue beetles and prevent a breeding population from establishing in Scotland. There is no evidence that Ips typographus has become established or spread in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-35114

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 25 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the survival rate of farmed salmon on marine farms was in 2024.

The Scottish Government does not collect data on fish survival by calendar year. Each October, Scottish Government publishes a Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey which presents data on survival to harvest within a year class; that is, the fish grown to harvest within a production cycle.

The member may be interested to know that industry trade body Salmon Scotland publishes monthly mortality data. In recent correspondence to the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee dated 3 February 2025, Salmon Scotland noted that their data indicated survival across all marine farms was 82.3% in 2024, up 10 percentage points from 72.3% in 2023.

Question reference: S6W-34804

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 25 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the UK Government regarding the proposed investment zone for the North East Scotland region.

Investment Zones in Scotland are being jointly delivered by the Scottish and UK Governments. The Scottish Government engages regularly with the UK Government regarding the proposed Investment Zone for the North East region. Weekly progress meetings are held between officials from both Governments to discuss the development of proposals and implementation of the Investment Zone. Additionally, the Scottish and UK Government jointly participate in scheduled fortnightly meetings with the North East Regional Economic Partnership, and more often where required, to ensure continued collaboration.

Question reference: S6W-34517

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 25 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the (a) legal and (b) other advice obtained by NatureScot regarding which areas of land should be covered by a 16AA licence under the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024.

Question reference: S6W-34385

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 25 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the implementation of similar measures in Scotland, what its position is on the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 in Ireland.

The Scottish Government draws on the best available international evidence when developing policy, including considering the effects of public health legislation in other countries such as Ireland.

The Scottish Government is a member of the British-Irish Council Drug and Alcohol Work Sector. The Scottish Government engages with officials from Ireland and the UK nations as part of that Work Sector to discuss policy developments including in relation alcohol harm.

Question reference: S6W-34387

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 25 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the diets of adolescents aged 11 to 15.

The Scottish Government recognises that improving children’s dietary health and increasing levels of healthy weight are complex issues that require a range of collaborative actions by governments and stakeholders.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving adolescents’ diets including through range of actions, for instance strengthening the provision of balanced and nutritious school meals food to children and young people. Eligible pupils in Primary 6 through to Secondary 6 can benefit from free school meals in Scotland.

In addition, the Scottish Government initiated a partnership between Young Scot and the Scottish Grocers Federation to explore and pilot use of the Young Scot National Entitlement Card to buy healthier options.

The Scottish Government continues to focus on improving the food environment to support young people to make healthier choices including future regulation of promotions of foods high in salt, sugar and fat. We also welcome the UK Government's move to introduce legislation to restrict advertising of less healthy food and drink and will be supporting its implementation in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-34403

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 25 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government on how many occasions the businesses that have submitted an application for a Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) have asked for the information that they provide to be treated as confidential and therefore not subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

Information provided in any application for Freight Facilities Grant (FFG), including personal information, may be subject to publication or disclosure in accordance with legislation including the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs) and the Data Protection Act 1998.

All applicants are asked if any of the information they provide as part of the process is to be treated as confidential with an explanation of why this is so. If Transport Scotland receive a request for disclosure of this information we will take full account the explanation given. However, due to our obligations under the relevant legislation we have never given an assurance that information supplied to us, even in confidence, would not be disclosed.

To date, no FOI in relation to confidential information supplied as part of an application for FFG has been received by Transport Scotland.

Question reference: S6T-02380

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it will work with the UK Government on the recently announced £200 million investment in Grangemouth, as part of the National Wealth Fund.

Question reference: S6T-02370

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its role in ensuring that public bodies are meeting their legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010, following recent correspondence from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.